Blackout
by SaltyJak
Summary: With the wind knocking the power out and making his house noisily creak, what's a sleepless Timmy to do, especially when his babysitter comes knocking? Oneshot.


It was late evening in Dimmsdale, a mere five minutes before midnight, and on the second floor of the Turner household lied Timmy, in his bed, but not quite able to fall asleep, for every time he managed to close his eyes and began to drift off…

 _Creak~!_

His house would let out a loud, unsettling creak, thanks to the rough, stormy winds outside that currently(and constantly!) assailed the structure.

"Argh!" The brunet sat up and grabbed his pillow, then lied back down and covered his face with it, at the same time folding it over his ears to block out the incessant sound of the wind and the creaks it kept eliciting from his house. "The _one_ time I _want_ to go to sleep, and I can't because of some stupid windstorm!" After a solid minute of lying like this, he sat back up, catapulting his pillow forward, where it landed by his feet.

Pulling his legs closer and bending them to sit cross-legged in his bed, Timmy; now thirteen, slouched forward a little, propping his head up in his right hand as he stared forward into the darkness of his room. Since he'd already been attempting to get some sleep, it wasn't long before his eyes adjusted and began to make sense of the vague shapes in the already familiar room. He could easily make out the end of his bed, and beyond that, the desk where he kept his laptop and did his homework; the light on the side of said laptop blinking every few seconds.

Toward the middle of his room, against the rear wall, was the entertainment center that contained his TV and video game systems, and to the right of that, in the corner opposite the one that his bed occupied, was a dresser, the outline of it just barely visible at the fringes of his eyes' natural night-vision. Further along the right-hand wall was a window that overlooked the side yard of his house, and a few feet past that was the door to his closet, with the rest of that side of his room being mostly barren, save for his laundry basket.

Finally, looking past his bedroom door, Timmy's eyes fell upon the fishbowl his fairy godparents; Cosmo and Wanda, called home, the normally unremarkable glass bowl giving off a faint, bluish, otherworldly glow that was only noticeable if his room was plunged into near-total darkness. "Hah..." The teen let out a low but dramatic sigh and hung his head. It had occurred to him that he _could_ just wish the storm to be over, or even just wish _himself_ to sleep, but if the bubbles rising up from the tiny castle in his godparents' fishbowl were anything to go by, both Cosmo and Wanda were already asleep, and he felt his current predicament was just a _little_ too trivial to bother them with. "Guess I'll go… Drink some water, or something..." He remarked quietly, more to give himself something to do that would pass the time, rather than because he was truly thirsty.

Throwing his comforter off himself, the brunet twisted to his right and noiselessly hopped out of bed, a little chill running up his legs as his bare feet touched his room's cool hardwood floor. "Wonder if anyone else is having a hard time getting to sleep tonight..." He stepped over to his bedroom door and slowly opened it, making sure to make as little noise as possible to avoid waking his godparents.

Once out in the hall, Timmy left the bedroom door open by only a crack and crossed the hallway into the bathroom, then fumbled with the light switch until he managed to flip it with an audible 'click', flooding the room with light that momentarily blinded his darkness-adjusted eyes. "Agh..." He groaned and rubbed his eyes as he made his way over to the sink by memory alone, only coming to a stop upon feeling his stomach collide with the edge of the bathroom sink. "Okay, ow..." He moved his hands from his eyes, slowly cracking them open to stare at his reflection in the mirror as he gripped the sink and leaned up against it.

His hair was somewhat disheveled from all the tossing and turning he'd done trying to get to sleep, and his pajamas; a pink t-shirt and dark blue boxer shorts, were a little wrinkled, but despite that, he neither felt nor looked particularly tired, save for the slightest hints of bags beginning to form under his eyes. "Haugh..." He yawned, bringing his hand up to his mouth momentarily to cover it, then twisted the sink's faucet and cupped his hands under the cool water, before finally dipping his head down to drink a few gulps.

"Ah..." The teen closed the faucet and stepped away from the sink, then brought his hands up and interlaced his fingers behind his head. "Well, I doubt anything _else_ could go wrong tonight… 'Least I don't have school in the morning."

The house creaked as another strong gust of wind blew over it, followed by a brief flicker of the bathroom light, which suddenly clicked off a second later, plunging the thirteen year old into total darkness.

"...Well played, Mother Nature..." Timmy deadpanned flatly, then turned in place and cautiously made his way back over to where the bathroom light switch was. He gave it a few flicks, and let out a sigh as the room remained dark. "Great~..."

Again, the house creaked as another gust of wind seemed to slam into it, the unsettling creak combined with the inky darkness of the house putting the teen on edge as he fumbled his way around the bathroom door frame and stepped back out into the hall. "Argh… The heck with this, I'm wishing for the power to come back on..." Timmy whispered to himself as he made his way over to his bedroom door, the faint glow of his godparents' fishbowl shining out into the hallway through the slightly cracked open door. "Good, at least magic doesn't go out." The teen smiled as he let himself back into his room and shut the door, then climbed back into bed and sat facing the slight luminescent fishbowl. "Cosmo? Wanda?" He gently tapped the glass, creating faint ripples on the surface of the water.

In response, a few bubbles floated up from the tiny castle inside, each producing a distinct snoring sound as it rose to the surface and popped.

"Guys? Hello~?" The brunet frowned as neither Cosmo nor Wanda seemed to stir, eliciting a frustrated eye-roll from the teen. "Mngh… I wish one of you would wake up and get out here!"

On cue, a small cloud of purplish smoke appeared above the fishbowl, revealing Timmy's fairy godfather, Cosmo, clad in a green and white-striped pajama shirt-and-pants combo, the little golden crown he normally wore replaced with a long cap that matched his pajamas. "Morning, Timmy! I-? Timmy? Why's it so dark? Have I gone blind?! Timmy?! Wanda?! I can't see anything! I-Mmph-Fmph-Mm?"

The green-haired fairy was cut off by his godson's hand shooting out and covering his mouth, the thirteen year old standing up in bed and being forced to lean over his godparents' fishbowl to quiet the panicking fairy. "Shh! C-Cosmo! Not so loud!" Timmy whispered out, trying(and failing) to calm down his nearly delirious godfather. "You're not blind! The power just went out! It's _dark_ , that's all!"

Upon hearing this, Cosmo went still for a moment, then nodded in understanding, prompting Timmy to take his hand away from his mouth. "Mmph-Mmf-Hm? Hm-Mm!"

"No, you-… Cosmo, you can speak normal-..." The thirteen year old trailed off, watching as the green-haired fairy tilted his head at him quizzically. "Eh… Right. Anyway, sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night, but I wish-"

Just then, the bedroom doorknob jiggled and turned, causing both Timmy and Cosmo to freeze up and exchange terrified glances for a moment. Acting on an impulse that had by now become second nature for the fairy, Cosmo instantly poofed himself back into goldfish form and dropped into the fishbowl, while Timmy quickly stretched out on his side in bed, propping his head up in his hand while leaning on his elbow, his gaze locked on his slowly opening bedroom door, only for him to avert it as a bright, white light poured into his room, temporarily blinding the teen. _Again_.

" _Great, just what I needed. Can't sleep, power goes out, and now Jorgen's gonna give me an earful for 'misusing' Cosmo and Wanda's powers!"_ Timmy thought to himself, figuring the blinding light currently scorching his corneas could _only_ be produced by someone like the most powerful fairy in existence. "Ack! Gimme a break, Jorgen! The power's out, and I can't get to sleep with all these weird, creepy noises my house makes!" He shouted, trying to peer in between his fingers at the light pouring in from the hallway.

"Uh-Huh? Well, there's no 'Jorgen' here, Twerp. Only Vicki." A distinctly feminine-sounding voice spoke up, in turn causing the brunet's eyes to shoot wide open for a moment as he lowered his hand and stared at his room's intruder.

Standing just inside the doorway of his room was his babysitter; Vicki, clad in a lime-green, midriff-baring tank-top, and black, cotton sleeping shorts, her fiery-red hair undone from its usual ponytail and cascading down her shoulders. Her right hand was raised, and in it she held up what looked to be a lantern, though instead of a burning wick and oil, this lantern was battery-powered, and sported a triangular pillar of white LEDs that easily illuminated Timmy's entire bedroom.

The girl's vibrant pink eyes slowly drifted from her charge to the fishbowl on his nightstand, the water within giving off a faint blue glow. "Neat."

"You could've knocked, you know." Timmy quietly tapped his mattress with his index finger, hoping the redhead had only let herself in to quickly check up on him.

'You and I both know that's not my style, Twerp." Vicki waved her free hand in a dismissive fashion, then nodded at the strangely glowing fishbowl. "So, I interrupt another of your conversations with your goldfish? Something about… Not being able to sleep because of how creaky the house is?"

"I… It's just hard to sleep with all the noise, that's all..." The thirteen year old glanced away evasively, the light of the lantern held by his babysitter revealing the barely-there dusting of pink on his cheeks.

"Oh? Is it because the creaks are too loud… Or is my wittle Twerp cweeped out because there's no power?" The girl asked teasingly as she bent over toward her charge, her electric lantern now less than a foot from his face. "C'mon~… You can tell me if you're afraid of the dark..."

"I am _not_ -"

 _Click!_

Vicki turned the knob on her lantern, once more plunging Timmy's bedroom into darkness, save for the dull glow emitted by the fishbowl. "Continue." She smirked, the fishbowl's light only barely illuminating the left half of her body, while her right side remained hidden in the darkness.

"D-Don't you have anything better to do than m-mess with me?" The brunet questioned with an unintentional stammer as yet another strong wind blew over the house, making his bedroom window rattle.

"Nah, not really. I _was_ watching TV, but as it turns out, the TV and cable box run on electricity! Only other thing I've got is my phone, but the battery's almost dead; better I save it for an emergency." The nineteen year old turned the knob on her lantern again, re-illuminating Timmy's room. "Which leaves you, Twerp."

Timmy crawled backward a few inches on his bed, realizing that, at some point, Vicki had moved closer to him, and was now partially leaning over his bed towards him. "A-And what? Teasing me b-because I'm- Because you _think_ I'm afraid of the dark and the w-weird noises my house makes when it's windy is f-fun to you?"

"Kinda, yeah." Vicki replied with a shrug, causing the left arm of her tank-top to slip off her shoulder, then pulled away to stand up straight again. "Of course, there _are_ other ways I could tease you, if you'd prefer…?" A wide grin spread across the redhead's face as she finished, her eyelids drooping ever so slightly.

"I-Uh… I think I'm good, Vicki..." The thirteen year old gulped audibly, his babysitter's tone leaving him feeling both intrigued and mildly uncomfortable.

"Ha! Suit yourself!" The nineteen year old let out a single, confident laugh. "Still, if you get bored-or, better yet-things get too creepy for you, you know where to find me!" With that, she spun around on her heel and made for the door.

"I-I already told you, I'm not afraid of the dark!" Timmy replied defiantly as he sat back up in bed and watched his babysitter leave.

"Sure, sure. I don't know _what_ I was thinking when I suggested you were, honestly." The girl mockingly called over her shoulder, giving the boy another dismissive wave as she left his room and headed down the hall toward the stairs.

"That-! H-Hey, I didn't..." The brunet trailed off as the light from the girl's lantern faded from view, leaving him alone in his room, with only the faint light of his godparents' fishbowl to barely illuminate his surroundings. "You didn't _have_ to leave..." He slouched forward a little, the darkness of his room beginning to feel suffocating, and the silence, deafening. "Mngh… Not like I'm gonna get any sleep at this rate, anyway..." Hesitantly, Timmy climbed back out of bed, grabbed his blanket, and threw it around his shoulders, then headed for his bedroom doorway and stepped out into the hall. "She's never gonna let me live this down… It'll be just like that time I let it slip that she's-"

 _Click!_

"The most _beautiful_ girl you've ever laid eyes on?" Vicki queried in a calm, yet smug tone from behind Timmy, the now switched-on lantern held at the top and bottom, lightly sandwiched between her hands, just in front of her chest.

"Gah!" The thirteen year old reflexively leapt forward, causing him to briefly slide along the hallway's hardwood floor, before he managed to flip himself over onto his back to stare up at his babysitter, who bore a wide, amused grin. "Wh-What are you doing?!"

"Scaring you." Another indifferent shrug, though the corners of her lips betrayed a small twitch as she stifled a giggle.

"What-... _Why_?!" The younger teen nearly yelled, his voice echoing down the hallway in both directions.

"For funsies." Vicki's grin made way for a full-on smile, her eyes briefly closing in amusement.

"W-Well it wasn't fun for me! ...Agh..." Timmy reached for his chest and settled his hand on his rapidly beating heart. "A-And for the record, I s-said you were pr-pretty, not-..." He took pause for a moment, giving his mind time to catch up with what his mouth had just let slip for the _second_ time, which in turn caused his cheeks to bloom with an uncomfortable warmth. "...Please tell me I didn't just-"

"I knew you had a crush on me." The redhead interrupted in a surprisingly humble tone of voice, though it was offset by the way she cockily popped up her right hip and settled her hand on it, posing in such a way that almost seemed to _dare_ Timmy to take back what he said. "Now, come along, Twerp." She stepped toward her charge then maneuvered around him, quietly padding down the hall in the direction of the stairs.

"Wh-Why should I?" As before, the thirteen year old spoke defiantly while pushing himself to his feet, prompting his babysitter to pause in the middle of the hall and look back at him with an unimpressed expression.

"For one, you were already coming downstairs anyway; I heard you mumbling to yourself. Second, if you _don't_ , I'm not only gonna make sure all your friends know you've got a crush on me, I'll _also_ be sure to let them know that you're _still_ afraid of the dark. You _sure_ you wanna test me, Loverboy?" The entire time she spoke, Vicki's tone remained even and neutral, while her confident posture alone reflected that her threat was entirely sincere.

Timmy let out a low huff in response, his brow furrowing in frustration. "...Can we maybe go back to me being a Twerp?"

"Twerp it is." The girl replied with a smirk, then at last stepped off the landing and began to descend the stairs into the living room, the bright light cast on the walls by her lantern fading from view.

"Rrgh… How can someone so pretty be so _mean_?" Timmy whispered out harshly to himself, wondering in the back of his mind when exactly it was that Vicki had gone from being his icky babysitter, to his icky babysitter… Who just _happened_ to be _really_ easy on the eyes. "Who am I kidding? She's always been mean, but… She could've at least waited for me… I can barely see anything up here." Resigned to his fate, the teen cautiously felt his way down the hallway with his right hand against the wall, before eventually stopping at the top of the stairs, which were subtly lit up by a dull orange-colored glow being cast on them from _something_ in the living room. _"Okay…_ _?"_

Timmy hesitantly made his way down the stairs and peered through the banisters as he did, in turn allowing him to see the source of the faint, orange-colored light: roughly a dozen or so candles of wildly different sizes, haphazardly arranged on the coffee table in front of the couch. On the far corner of the table sat the electric lantern Vicki had been using, while Vicki herself sat cross-legged, occupying the far cushion on the couch. "Hey! Look who finally decided to show up!" She waved cheerily at Timmy as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

He blushed at the girl's bubbly greeting and looked away, at the same time bringing his hand up to clear his throat self-consciously. "N-Not like you gave me much choice..."

"Oh, I _know_. I'm just _so_ terrible." The older teen deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, you've got two-thirds of the couch to choose from-" She nodded at the two free cushions to her left. "-So come and make yourself comfortable."

Again, Timmy found himself hesitating as his gaze shifted between his babysitter and the open seats on the couch, then back to her. Sure, part of him preferred to be around _someone_ since the power was out, even if that someone _was_ Vicki, but with his attraction to the girl out in the open, he _knew_ it was going to be a _long_ night of subtle torture and teasing.

"C'mon~… You can't sleep, I'm probably not gonna be able to get to sleep for at least another couple of hours…?" Vicki quirked an eyebrow up and turned in place, orienting herself toward her charge as she laid her left arm across the back couch cushions.

"...Fine." The brunet relented and quietly shuffled over to the couch, then took the seat at the opposite end from where Vicki sat, figuring that even with how much she loved to tease him, the girl still wasn't the _worst_ person he could share a couch with. "So… How long do you think the power'll be out?"

"I'unno. I looked outside before I came to get you, and the whole neighborhood seems to be in the dark. No street or porch lights, but..." She trailed off, her gaze locked on Timmy as he pulled his legs up onto the couch to sit cross-legged like she was. "...The city is still all lit up, like usual. I figure it's just a local thing; might even come back tonight, if there's no serious damage."

"I hope so. All this wind makes it hard enough to sleep as it is, since the house keeps creaking, but since it's dark too..." Once again, a gust of wind howled against and shook the house, making the teen subtly flinch.

" _Jeez, he really_ is _getting creeped out from a little wind and no power..."_ Vicki mused to herself, watching as Timmy bundled the blanket a bit closer to himself, which in turn made her feel a slight chill in the air, as despite the dozen candles occupying the coffee table, the house itself was still rather cool. _"I mean,_ I _was afraid of spiders until I was fourteen, so I guess it's not_ that _strange, but..."_

 _Crack~!_

A loud cracking noise sounded from outside, and was punctuated with an equally loud snap that made both teens jump, then finally followed with a muffled crash, the wind outside picking up in ferocity and volume for a moment, before again dying down.

"Ngh..." The thirteen year old let out a noise that sounded half like a whine, and half like a groan, though his blanket was too closely wrapped around him at this point to be bundled up any further.

"Probably just a tree branch snapping off from the wind, Twerp, no big deal." The redhead attempted to reassure her charge, something she'd freely admit to being terrible at since 'caring and sympathetic' wasn't exactly her forte.

"I-I know… I'm fine, it was just… S-Surprising, that's all." Timmy stammered out, trying(and not quite succeeding) to appear unfazed by the windstorm.

" _Like I can't see right through your little tough guy act…_ Please _."_ Vicki thought to herself in mild irritation, though her conscience had no intention of ending things there. _"Give him a break, he's probably got no idea how to deal with his crush on you, so he's just acting that way so you don't pick him apart like you_ always _do. Why not_ try _giving him_ something _, just for once?"_ The nineteen year old frowned in annoyance and crossed her arms. "Stupid head-voices..." She grumbled out, though not _quite_ to herself.

"Eh… Wh-What? Did you… Say something, Vicki?" The brunet lowered his makeshift blanket-hood and turned his head, shooting the older girl a bemused look.

"I said: stupid head-" She caught herself and held her tongue at the last second, realizing she must've berated her conscience out loud. "Er… I was just thinking… It's chilly in here, huh?" Vicki rubbed her bare upper arms for emphasis, in turn making them bristle with goosebumps.

"Ah… A little, I guess?" Timmy agreed, despite not being particularly cold himself, thanks to his blanket. "It's actually pretty warm under my blanket, so I didn't even notice-"

" _Perfect."_ The older teen thought to herself, and began to put her plan into action. "Then you wouldn't mind sharing, would you?" She shifted onto her hands and knees and crept over towards her charge, making him visibly tense up. _"Oh, this'll be fun…!"_

"Uh-Heheh… N-No, of-… Of c-course not, here!" In one swift motion, the thirteen year old unwrapped his blanket from around himself and threw it over his babysitter, the large comforter draping over her like she was a piece of furniture.

" _Jeez, this kid..."_ The redhead felt a vein twitch in her forehead as she clenched her teeth and briefly closed her eyes in annoyance.

And though her expression was currently hidden by the blanket, Vicki's sudden pause was enough for the brunet to realize that _maybe_ throwing his blanket at the girl hadn't been the best idea. "Er… S-Sorry…?"

"That wasn't _quite_ what I meant, Timmy..." Vicki deadpanned, lifting away the part of the blanket that covered her head so it settled across her shoulders.

"I-It's fine, I'll just go grab another one f-from upstairs..." The teen began to scoot forward off the couch, only to be interrupted by a creak from the middle of it thanks to his babysitter's movement.

"Not so fast!" The redhead exclaimed, crawling the rest of the way over to her charge to slip in between him and the back of the couch. " _I've_ got a better idea!" Before Timmy could react, Vicki snaked her right arm around his front, while her right leg laid itself over his right thigh and between his still-crossed legs, her foot slipping under his left thigh. With that done, she managed to sit up straight behind the boy and laid her left leg in front of his, bending hers at the knee in much the same way, then looped her left arm around his front; just above her right, leaving her body, for all intents and purposes, wrapped around Timmy's, with the blanket enshrouding both of them completely, save for their heads. "There! Isn't this _much_ better than you getting another blanket?" She snuggled a bit closer to her charge and settled her chin on his left shoulder.

"Wha-! I-An-And y-you-! You're so-! I didn't mean for… Wh-Why are you… C-Cuddling with me?!" The teen, too frozen with surprise at the moment to even _think_ about trying to escape, managed to barely stammer out a question, his voice heavy with horror and genuine disbelief at what was happening.

At that very second, he truly felt like a mouse being constricted by a snake; he was too afraid of what Vicki might do to move, his heart was hammering itself against his ribs, and it felt like a wave of adrenaline had hit him, making him subtly shake in his babysitter's grasp. The only saving graces were that he could breathe normal(if somewhat panicked) breaths, and that unlike a snake, Vicki wasn't crushing every bone in his body.

Not yet, anyway.

"Because I'm cold, and _you're_ nice and toasty!" _"Ha! How's_ this _for 'giving him_ something _' for once, me?"_ The nineteen year old mused to herself proudly, a small, content smile forming on her lips.

"Y-You can say th-that again!" Timmy shivered as he spoke, though it was more from how absolutely _freezing_ the girl's hands were, rather than simply from her out-of-nowhere embrace. "A-And with the way you p-practically wrapped your arms and legs around m-me… Are you _sure_ you're not some k-kind of snake?"

"Ah~… He's got jokes too!" The redhead laughed lightly, but soon lowered her tone, and began to whisper in the teen's ear. "Careful though, Timmy, else I'll have to _bite_ you so you'll calm down…!"

"Y-You… B-Bite me?" He gulped audibly, the color momentarily draining from his flushed cheeks. "I-Eheh… I don't think you _b-biting_ me would calm me d-down…?"

"You might be surprised, Twerp~…" Again, she whispered into Timmy's ear huskily, and felt him tense up in her grasp as a result.

"Yeah, but I still think I'll have to pass!" The teen spoke rapidly, his voice rising in volume to become a high-pitched squeak.

"Meh, suit yourself..." Vicki shrugged, still grinning to herself as she lightly butted the side of her head against Timmy's and kept it there.

Before long, a companionable silence settled over the two teens, and the redhead allowed her eyelids to slowly droop closed as she felt her charge's rapid, somewhat panicked breathing return to normal, though she could still feel him shiver in her embrace every now and then.

"...Vicki?" Timmy at last broke the silence, doing his best to glance out of the corner of his left eye at his babysitter.

"Still awake." She replied, peeking one eye back open.

"Why… Why are you being… Sorta nice to me? ...Right now, anyway?" The thirteen year old questioned, against his better judgment. He knew the older girl wasn't exactly big on giving out hugs, and he could probably count the number of them he'd received from her on one hand, but this current one took the cake; it was easily the most affectionate he could recall Vicki ever being.

"Oh? Aren't I usually nice to you, Timmy?" The redhead shot back playfully.

"You threatened upstairs that if I didn't come with you, you'd tell my friends that I'm afraid of the dark _and_ that I have a crush on you." The boy deadpanned, his gaze trained straight ahead at the various flickering flames on the candles.

"What, that? You don't think I'd _actually_ do something like that to you, right?" Despite her playful inflection, there was a small hint of disbelief in the older girl's tone, making her almost sound a little surprised.

"Ugh… Then… Then _why_ say it?!" Timmy crossed his arms in frustration and hung his head. "If you wanted me to come down here, why not just _ask_ me to?"

"Because 'asking' _really_ isn't my thing, you know that, Twerp." Vicki rolled her eyes and looked towards the stairs, hoping to avoid any attempt at eye contact her charge might make. "...I mean, would you have come down here with me if I _had_ asked, honestly?"

"I… Might have..." The thirteen year old lied, knowing full well that, at the time, he'd had every intention of staying in his room so he could wish the power back on.

"Oh really? Then how about I ask you something else? ...And I advise you answer me truthfully, Timmy." The redhead's voice took on a serious tone as she refocused her gaze on her charge.

"...Okay." Timmy nodded, then felt the familiar weight of the girl's head settle on his shoulder.

"Do… You actually, y'know… Have a crush on me?"

The brunet remained silent at first, though he could practically _feel_ his babysitter's eyes boring into the side of his face.

"I mean, I know I teased you and joked around about it earlier, but… You've said I'm pretty on two different occasions now, and you didn't exactly take it back, so…?" She verbally prodded him, absently wondering how her childish attempt at showing her own _conscience_ who was boss had gotten her here. "Hey-" She squeezed her arms a bit tighter around Timmy, partially to take advantage of the warmth his somewhat small frame gave off. "Don't make me have to squeeze it outta you, you're not going anywhere until I get an answer." Vicki chuckled, her tone friendly and reassuring(she hoped).

"...G-Guess you'd better not hold your breath, then. I think I like it here." Timmy shifted about, then relaxed into the girl's grasp, a small, nervous smile playing at his lips.

"Hah..." The redhead let out a loud, dramatic sigh, then butted her forehead against Timmy's shoulder. " _Seriously_?" She lifted her head up and craned her neck forward, trying to get a look at her charge. "I'm trying my best to be straightforward and… And I dunno, understanding, here! Would it kill you to _not_ be diffi-" She cut herself off, first noticing how red the brunet's face had become, and then, the nervous little smile on his face. "Oh, you little-! _Now_ you're gonna get it!"

"Ah-! N-No, wait!" The thirteen year old attempted to dart forward, but the older girl's grip held firm, keeping him in place as her fingers rapidly moved against his abdomen and tickled him. "I-Ha! I'll say what-Ahah! Whatever you want, just stop-!" He again tried wriggling away from his babysitter, only for Vicki to pin him between herself and her right leg. "Ehee! Q-Quit it, Vicki-i-i!"

"Admit you have a crush on me!" The redhead exclaimed, briefly stopping her tickle-assault.

"Never!" Seizing the opportunity, Timmy squirmed out of the girl's grasp and crawled to his right, but soon found his moment of freedom cut short as he felt her slender fingers curl around his right ankle and pull him back, his own fingers clawing at the opposite arm of the couch, before slipping off. "Heehee!" The teen rolled over onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows, using his still-free leg to backpedal away from his babysitter. "I can still-"

Just as he spoke, Vicki launched herself forward; gripping the edge of the blanket they'd been sharing with her hands, and wrapped her arms around her charge, pinning his own arms to his sides as she cocooned the both of them with the blanket, her face now mere centimeters from Timmy's.

"-Get away..." The brunet muttered out sheepishly, making one final attempt to wriggle out of Vicki's grasp, before she practically laid herself down on top of him, pinning him to the couch. "G-Get off me! Doesn't this… F-Feel weird to y-you?" He turned his head to the right, breaking eye contact with the redhead.

"Evidently not as weird as it feels to _you_." The nineteen year old replied huskily, her closeness allowing her to easily feel Timmy's heart rapidly beating in his chest… Or was that partially her own, as well? "Anyway, I suggest you fess up, Timmy. Just because my arms aren't free _doesn't_ mean I can't… _Work_ an answer out of you, if I'm so inclined."

He wasn't sure why, but the emphasis Vicki had put on 'work' made him especially nervous, along with making an odd wave of heat wash over his body, which soon seemed to settle in his blushing cheeks. "S-So what if… If m-maybe I do, a l-little?" Timmy attempted to cross his arms out of reflex, only for it to dawn on him that they were still very much pinned to his sides, prompting him to let out a quiet huff. "Th-The only thing that you knowing m-means is you've got one _more_ thing to tease me about..."

"Well _that's_ pretty presumptuous." The redhead frowned at her charge, her brow furrowing a bit.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Timmy stammered out, quirking an eyebrow up at the older teen in confusion as he felt her unwind her right arm from around him.

"I _mean_..." Vicki brought her right hand up, hooking her index finger into Timmy's shirt collar and giving it a downward tug, her nail gently dragging across his skin. " _Maybe_ you should think about complimenting me a little more often..." She leaned down, lightly butting her forehead against his as she continued to sink closer.

"O-Okay…?" The brunet squeaked out as Vicki's lips drew ever closer to his, the teen's thoughts racing a mile a minute, and seemingly causing time to slow down, allowing him to appreciate just how soft her pink lips looked, and how gorgeous the redhead was in the faint, orange glow of the candlelight. He allowed his eyelids to droop closed, ready and willing to lose himself in the oddly perfect moment…

 _Bzzt-Click!_

Both teens froze, their lips no more than a hair's breadth apart as the living room was instantly illuminated by the ceiling light, and filled with the sound of explosions and gunfire as the TV flickered back on; broadcasting some action movie that neither Timmy nor Vicki recognized at that very moment.

"Are you _kidding_ me…?" The redhead muttered out, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut in frustration.

"Uhm…?" The thirteen year old winced as his babysitter planted the palm of her hand into his chest and pushed herself up a little, then leaned over and snatched the TV remote off the coffee table.

"See? Told you the power'd probably come back on tonight..." She lowered the volume of the TV as she spoke, before setting the remote back down on the table.

"Y-Yeah, guess so..." Timmy gasped out, earning him a quizzical look from his babysitter.

"Hehehe! What? You disappointed that the power coming back on cut our little moment short?" She grinned down at her charge, her own cheeks dusted with a bit of pink at the thought of their almost-kiss.

"It-… It's not that… Y-You're pushing all the air out of my lungs!" The brunet managed to breathe out harshly, while at the same time nodding down at the girl's hand.

"Oh! Er..." Vicki finally pulled her hand away, opting instead to push herself up into a sitting position that effectively left her straddling Timmy. "Whoops."

"Ah… Hah..." The teen took a few seconds to catch his breath, at the same time bringing his right hand up to rub the spot where Vicki's had been. "I-Uh… Did you? Did _we_? I m-mean, we _almost_ -..." He carefully slipped his legs part of the way out from under Vicki, then sat up straight, his back reclined against the arm of the couch. "R-Right?"

"What do _you_ think?" Vicki chuckled, shooting Timmy a cocky smirk as she swung her left leg over both of his and lied down in the space between him and the back of the couch, her head coming to rest on one of the throw pillows that sat against the same arm Timmy currently occupied.

"Wha-? Th-That's it?" The brunet asked as he turned over onto his side to face his babysitter, his voice bearing a hint of disappointment. "So then… What now?"

" _Now_? Now the power's back on, and it sounds like the wind's finally died down too. You're free to go." Vicki gave a quick nod towards the stairs.

"Oh." Timmy replied sheepishly and turned his attention to the stairs as he started to get up off the couch. As he swung one leg off; however, he took pause and turned to face the redhead once more. "Do… You _want_ me to go?"

 _This_ caught the nineteen year old's attention, enough that she shifted her weight onto her elbow and propped herself up on it, one eyebrow raised at her charge in curiosity. "Do _you_ want to go?"

"Not really." He admitted shyly, again sporting the nervous little smile from earlier.

"And you're not gonna complain about my cold hands?" Vicki joked, narrowing her eyes at the teen playfully.

"...Maybe a little."

The redhead couldn't help but roll her eyes at Timmy's equally playful response, but nonetheless, lifted the blanket invitingly. "Just get over here."

The brunet eagerly swung his leg back up onto the couch and scooted over in front of the girl, then turned over to face the TV as her arm came back down, covering them both with the blanket and pulling him against her front. "...I think I could get used to this."

"Heehee! You make it sound like you've got a _choice_ , now…!" Vicki grinned, her right arm snaking around Timmy's small frame, hugging her Twerp close.


End file.
